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At Bank of America, we're committed to helping grow local economies and strengthen the communities we serve. By combining local support and expertise with our national reach, we're connecting customers and communities across the country to the resources they need to thrive.

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A man who can calm widespread financial panic by stacking gold on the counter of a bank in public view, demonstrating confidence and financial stability, is one we’re proud to have as part of our heritage.

Bank of America’s oldest heritage bank in Los Angeles, the Farmers and Merchants Bank, was instrumental in the development of the city into a thriving urban metropolis.

The building and rebuilding of Chicago/en-us/our-story/building-rebuilding-of-chicago.html1359940|enter782|cr-en284The building and rebuilding of Chicago/en-us/our-story/building-rebuilding-of-chicago.html_self1359940|enter782|2014_855||1359940|enter782|2014_319||1359940|enter782|2014_00||

RED THREAD PRODUCTIONSBANK OF AMERICA – LOCAL MARKETS 2013 – BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB AS PRODUCED VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

(v/o) JIM KEANEThis is the Morgan Park Boys and Girls Club. We’re an after school youth development organization. We take care of children ages six to eighteen…

SUPER: JIM KEANE, PRESIDENT & CEO, BOYS & GIRLS CLUB, CHICAGO

Jim Keane: …in those vulnerable after school hours, which are by far the most risky hours of the day in terms of violence, in terms of gang activity. They come into the club it’s a safe haven, safe physically, but also safe emotionally. It’s a game changer for kids. They gain more of those skills to succeed in life, and our goal, our mission is to enable these children to reach their full potential. We wouldn’t be able to do the mission we have, or to serve kids we serve or to keep growing that daily attendance without Bank of America’s support.

Julie Chavez: We’ve had a long relationship with the Boys and Girls Club of Chicago for decades. They have a strong history of being, really, in the right place at the right time for these youths. Recently the Boys and Girls Club of Chicago has been host organization for the bank of America Student Leader intern program. Unemployment is really high for teens, so the student leader program offers an employment experience. They’re eight week paid summer internships, so these are real jobs.

Jim Keane: Students are exposed at a leadership level, so they’re not just doing a job that someone tells them to do they’re really participating.

SUPER: ANTWAN GALLION, STUDENT LEADER INTERN

Antwan Gallion: I wanted to be a role model and guide someone instead of just work and get a paycheck.

SUPER: DEBORAH SMILEY, STUDENT LEADER INTERN

Deborah Smiley: These children need us the most. They need great mentors in their life leading them in the right path so eventually they’ll be able to become the lawyers and the doctors.

Julie Chavez: Bank of America recognizes that youths are stakeholders in the success of our communities. They’re going to be our future business leaders, they’re gonna be our future civic and community and government leaders.

SUPER: JARREL WASHINGTON, STUDENT LEADER INTERN

Jarrel Washington: It’s very important that we have role models for these kids. This internship really instilled in us how much we matter and what you contribute to your community and society matters

Julie Chavez: Organizations like the boys and girls club help us open the door of opportunity for our kids and make Chicago a better place to live and work.

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ressurrectionprojectdefaultPlayertrueblack/assets/images/partnering-locally/local-markets-3/video-stills/resurrection-project_101512_878x494.jpg|People talking by a laptop at Resurrection Project|The Resurrection Project Is Working to Revitalize the Pilsen Community with Affordable Housing ||

Raul Raymundo: In the late eighties, I was listening to one of the pastors preach about a young man who was shot across the street from the church. And was asking, ‘What are we gonna do about it? Are we gonna pray that the problem goes away or are we actually gonna do something about it?’ And that motivated me, to want to make sure that, that doesn’t happen again. The Resurrection Project, is a comprehensive Community Development Organization. We build homes, we build daycare centers. Twenty-two years ago six parents just came together, really to build relationships, to build a healthy community not to move to one. Each parent invested five thousand dollars.

SUPER: Julie Chavez, Market Manager, Bank of America

Julie Chavez: And I think that amount of money for each church probably was a, was a lot. And it goes to show you what a strong seed can do. And I think that’s so exciting, how they bought that small amount of investment and it blossomed it.

Raul Raymundo: Twenty-two years later we’ve leveraged over two-hundred and fifty million dollars in community reinvestment. By building over six hundred units of affordable housing, community facilities, creating jobs, businesses, programs for youth and children. So we have tremendous pride on the work that we’ve done.

Julie Chavez: I grew up in Pillson, and my family’s been here for more than fifty years. Since the inception, Bank of America has been involved with the Resurrection Project. We’ve been a very close funder. We’ve been an advisor. We’ve collaborated on home-ownership education opportunities. And I think that’s what Bank of America represents. We’re part of the fabric of the community.

Raul Raymundo: Bank of America has been a pioneer in community development. They understand that’s it’s not just about bricks and mortar, it’s about also human capital development.

SUPER: Oralia Abeja, Client, Resurrection Project

Oralia Abeja: I grew up in this neighborhood. For me it’s very important to, to stay here, because, my roots are here. And my kids’ roots are also here. And my youngest daughter has graduated from Tusseto Academy. And she’s going to be the fourth one to graduate from the same grammar school. Because of The Resurrection Project, I was able to buy an affordable home in the same area, and keep them in the same school.

Raul Raymundo: The homes that people bought. Our message to them, ‘You’re not buying a piece of property. You’re buying part of the community. And that means something different. That means you’re gonna take some responsibility of your community, not just of your home.

Oralia Abeja: For me owning a home was a big change it just, changes your life completely. The stability that your kids feel. That something belongs to them. And I think for me to have my own home means success.

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metrofamilyservicesdefaultPlayertrueblack/assets/images/partnering-locally/local-markets-3/video-stills/metro-family-serices_101512_878x494.jpg|Children at a table at Metro Family Services|A 150-Year-Old Organization Helps Families Grow In Chicago ||

BANK OF AMERICA RTP-Chicago-Metro Family Services-As Produced Video Transcript

SUPER: Ric Estrada, President/CEO, Metropolitan Family Services

Ric Estrada: Metropolitan Family Services is an organization in Chicago that cares for families, and has been caring for families for a hundred and fifty-five years. We provide services that help individuals and families to be stronger. We believe that in order to have a strong society, you need strong families.

SUPER: Marcus Boggs, Senior Financial Advisor, Bank of America

Marcus Boggs: Those services could include elder care, legal aid, adoption services, parental counseling, and other services that every family may need at some point.

Ric Estrada: We provide services in four key areas we like to call them “The Four ‘E’s”. Education, that’s childcare, after-school care, work in the schools. Economic sustainability. And that includes work force development and training people. Emotional wellness for us is counseling and mental health services. And empowerment. That’s helping folks find their own voice so they would advocate for themselves and that they understand their rights. And we believe that those are the pillars to move families along to a better and healthier space.

Marcus Boggs: This is often times a place where many working parents are able to bring their children to meet other kids within the community and they get education, they get social skills

SUPER: Patricia Melidones, Teacher, Metropolitan Family Services

Patricia Melidones: All of these parents tell us they want their kids to go on to college. And this is one way that they can give them a good foundation to become successful and happy later on in life.

SUPER: Felipe Marchant, Parent

Felipe Marchant: My daughter is happy. She’s always telling me that she wants to come and learn new things.

Patricia Melidones: Any head start that you give children, gives them an advantage that they didn’t have otherwise.

Marcus Boggs: Bank of America has a very, very longstanding relationship with Metropolitan Family Services; over twenty-five years. Over the years, we’ve given them over seven hundred thousand dollars in grants.

Ric Estrada: Mark is one of our board members. He’s a passionate individual; cares deeply about the communities that we serve.

Ric Estrada: That award is not only significant because it provides a very generous grant. But also it provides leaders within the organization the opportunity to have a yearlong leadership training. What is says about Bank of America, that they invest financial resources, human talent; it’s that they care about the communities where they work, live and play.

Marcus Boggs: Metropolitan Family Services is a fantastically run organization. They continue to provide, not only a footprint for the Chicago community to succeed, but also, a place where we really are grooming future leaders.

centeronhalsteddefaultPlayertrueblack/assets/images/partnering-locally/local-markets-3/video-stills/center-on-halsted_101512_878x494.jpg|Two men using a computer at the Center on Halsted Cyber Center|Chicago’s Center on Halsted Offers Programs and Social Services for the Local LGBTQ Community ||

BANK OF AMERICA RTP-Chicago-Center on Halsted- As Produced Video Transcript

(V/O)Carol Hedin: When I first came out I had lived in the suburb for nineteen years.

SUPER: Carol Hedin, Client, Center on Halsted

Carol Hedin: And I moved into the city and I knew no one in the gay community

SUPER: Brian Richardson, Director of Public Affairs, Center on Halsted

Brian Richardson: Center on Halsted's goal, is basically to provide opportunities, community, resources and beginnings for members of the LGBT Community of all ages, of all backgrounds.

SUPER: Tico Valle, CEO, Center on Halsted

Tico Valle: We grew up oppressed. We had to hide in the closet. The center is a beacon of hope.

SUPER: Rand Kohler, Credit Risk Executive, Bank of America

Rand Kohler: There are still many young people who are afraid to share their identity with their families.

Brian Richardson: Young people are still being bullied in the schools for being gay. Senior citizens sometimes are forced back into the closet, when they have to move into a retirement center. And people of all ages are still discriminated against based on who they are, or who they love in our community. The center provides a safe haven for them to come and be away from that harmful environment. But it also provides support services, and counseling services.

Carol Hedin: I ended up losing custody of my kids at one point. So that's another reason a place like this is so important for people who really had no place anymore, and that was me, back then.

(V/O)Brian Richardson: So right next door we are building the Midwest's very first affordable housing facility, targeted for LGBTQ seniors.

Tico Valle: We can do so much more because of Bank of America. Not only do they financially give. They give of their human resources. Bank of America is family.

Rand Kohler: I've been a board member of the Center on Halsted for two years. My own personal satisfaction comes from the happiness that I see in these hallways. Of people who come here for counseling services, for a hot meal, for a place to socialize, for a place to learn about how to get a job.

Brian Richardson: Cellar Fork is our culinary arts program. It's a twelve-week course for unemployed and under-employed individuals from the community. They receive training from top chefs. We have a great Cyber Center, that's open to the public throughout the day for free computer use. But we also provide the Job Club in the Cyber Center. Where people can get one-on-one assistance for creating their resumes; searching for jobs online, as well as interviewing skills.

Tico Valle: We want the Center to be that place where people can be who they are. And so that we can appreciate and celebrate that uniqueness.

Carol Hedin: It makes me feel good about who I am and there was a time in my life where I didn't feel that way at all and that's not the case anymore. I've developed a whole new outlook on things, you know. I just think it's so wonderful. Oh yeah, it's great.

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